Category: product review

In our office, we have this one weird wall that’s been missing something. We try to keep the space creative and fun, which we hope will reflect in the work we do.

As Adam does most of his writing there, he has one wall full of whiteboards, bulletin boards with notes and quotes pinned, and posters from some of his favorite bands.

The wall opposite that has served as an often-rotating canvas, full of some of my photos from abroad and random assortment of other things we liked. Even after almost three years of living here, we never really put that much effort into that wall, though I’ve been wanting to do a funky and fun gallery wall for almost as long.

When Jennifer, with Modern Map Art, reached out to me about her San Diego art print, I was so excited! Finally, that wall would have a focal point and I could begin making something fun out of it.

When I visited the website, I loved how many options there were.

In addition, each of these beautiful maps is available in five different sizes: 8×10, 12×18, 16×20, 18×24 and 24×36. I talked with Adam and we decided to go with the blue and yellow one in 16×20. I wanted to make sure it was large enough to be a focal point on that wall, and I loved how bright and fun the colors were.

A little over a week after ordering, the map had arrived! It came in a large hard cardboard tube (which Maeby later stole because she thought it was a fun toy), and when I unrolled it, I was in love.

The bright blues and yellows did not disappoint and that night I got to work on our wall. I initially planned to order a frame (and still will in the coming weeks), but I was so excited to get this map up that for now, I have it hung with some white binder clips and push pins. It took me awhile to figure out what to put up there with it, but since I wanted the wall to be a culmination of things Adam and I love, I knew it would be a nice collection of photos, musical pieces, and other miscellaneous items.

On the wall, we have:

Two canvas prints – One Adam’s friend did a loooooong time ago and one I made when I first moved here

Three framed photos – One of me and my teammates from college, one of two of our best friends, and one of Adam and his friends from when he first moved out here

A large print from my time abroad

A Beatles record – Adam’s favorite band of all time

A signed poster of another band Adam liked back in the day

My old license plate from the car I drove across country a little over three years ago (letters blocked out)

There are still quite a bit of blank spaces and the wall is pretty big, so we plan to add to it as we can. For now, I love that this wall is a representation of us, regardless of the mixed media types, and that it fully captures the creative and colorful vibe we’ve been trying to convey in our office for a long time.

Most of all, I love that this map is a fun and beautiful cartographic representation of San Diego. Adam and I plan to move back to New England in the coming years. Life in San Diego is wonderful but New England, full of its cold weather and sarcasm, will always be home. This print will always be representative of our beginnings and my time in America’s Finest City, and we can take it with us wherever we go.

Disclosure: I received this product for free in exchange for an honest review on my blog. All opinions are my own.

I held off on giving Maeby her new toys until Christmas, but she didn’t really mind the wait, because she loves them. Not surprisingly, she’s also loving her new treats, particularly the Old Mother Hubbard treats. The L’il Brush Bones have an interesting smell to them, but Maeby seems to enjoy them all the same.

Now that we’ve been getting PetBox for a few months, I’m planning on putting together a list of our favorite products we’ve received so far. Check back in a few weeks to see what Maeby has been loving most!

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Are you interested in PetBox for your dog or cat? Get 10% off your first box with code MAEBY.

1. American Licorice Company Fruit Vines Bites – These are SO good. I kind of ripped into these right when the package arrived on my doorstep and I had to stop myself from eating the whole bag in one sitting. I’m not a big fan of cherry flavored things so I really liked that these came in strawberry.

2. EcoTools Hair Brush – I was sent the bottom one pictured above (the Sleek and Shine Finisher Hair Brush). I like that there are “vents” in the brush, which help my hair dry if I’m using this while blow drying, and this brush made my hair feel really soft.

3. Boots No7 Protect & Perfect Advanced Serum – I liked this product, but since we only received a small sample, I’m not sure that I can accurately share what specifically it does/how effectively it works. It is supposed to help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and has good reviews on the Ulta website, so it’s likely a product worth trying.

4. NYC Expert Last Lip Color in Sugar Plum – I thought this lipstick would be hot pink based on the picture on the site I’ve linked here. I’m not sure if it’s because I have a darker complexion than some of the people who shared their photos, but for me, the shade offered a more subtle look. I do like the look it gives and am not normally someone who wears lipstick, so I think this will be a good first one to start wearing.

5. Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterpoof Eyeliner – I am normally a liquid eyeliner fan, but I actually really liked this eyeliner a lot. It’s waterproof, so it’s a little harder to get off than the liquid liner I prefer, but this can be a good thing, particularly in warmer weather when it’s more prone to smudging.

7. Celestial Seasonings Candy Cane Lane Decaf Green Tea – I’m not the biggest fan of peppermint, so this tea wasn’t something I was super excited about. That being said, the peppermint taste wasn’t overwhelming and I actually enjoyed this cup of tea before bed. I can see why the reviews on this product are good – people really seem to enjoy it and for those who like mint, this tea would be perfect. On a semi-related note, I really like that the packaging involves a polar bear family.

8. Rimmel Gentle Eye Makeup Remover – While I liked the Rimmel makeup remover, I expected it to be more effective. It says on the bottle that it will remove waterproof mascara, so I expected it to remove the aforementioned Rimmel waterproof eyeliner, but I had a hard time doing so. I normally use Almay oil-free makeup remover pads and this is still my preferred makeup remover.

Have you tried any of these products? If so, which is your favorite? If not, which one would you most want to try?

Once I opened the box, Maeby actually ran up to the opened box, pulled the toy pictured above out and ran off with it, but I made her wait so we could take pictures.

As usual, all of the treats are all natural and made with real ingredients. The Old Mother Hubbard dog treats, for example, have whole wheat flour, honey, canola oil, apple puree, and oatmeal, and the Emerald Pet treats are grain-free. And Maeby has sampled all of the treats in this month’s PetBox and she gave a strong nod of approval.

The verdict? This box was a win.

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Are you interested in PetBox for your dog or cat? Get 10% off your first box with code MAEBY.

What is PetBox?

PetBox is a monthly subscription service for toys and treats for dogs and cats. With every PetBox purchased, PetBox helps to feed a pet in need.

Obviously Maeby is all about toys and treats, but what really got me was the philanthropic angle of things, especially since Maeby was brought in as a stray and eventually saved from a high-kill shelter. At one point, she was a pet in need.

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Just a few days after our first PetBox shipped, it arrived in the mail. I got home from work, and saw this lovely blue box sitting on our stoop.

Maeby and I immediately headed to our backyard, where I began opening the box.

I loved the attention to detail. Everything was wrapped in black tissue paper, with a round PetBox seal of approval.

Something smelled good, because Maeby was all over the box right away.

And once I opened up one package of treats, she didn’t hesitate to help herself.

Here’s what was in the box:

Clockwise from top:

– Petz info QR ID tag (in case your dog/cat gets lost)

– Evanger’s canned all-natural chicken dog and cat food

– Wellspring Pets Bionic Bones water nutrient (contains glucosamine and chondroitin, both of which help keep your dog’s joints healthy)

Clearly there was a nice variety of items, all of which we will be using

I want to point out that just because Maeby’s a dog, it doesn’t mean that she deserves to eat food that has fillers or other processed materials. I like to feed her the same kind of food I would want to eat, and even though I’m sure she’d prefer bacon all day everyday (and really, who can blame her), I give her the next best thing: Canidae, which is an all-natural, grain-free food made with real meat. In keeping with these beliefs, I’m really quite impressed with PetBox and love that all of the treats are natural and made in the U.S. And, as I mentioned above, Maeby is already enjoying some of her newest treats and had no trouble helping herself.

I think it’s safe to say our first month of PetBox was a success.

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Are you interested in PetBox for your dog or cat? Get 10% off your first box with code MAEBY.

Do you have any pets? I kind of love all animals everywhere and would love to hear about them.

For anyone who knows Adam, this won’t come as a surprise, but the man loves his whiskey. So when I saw this giveaway, I was all over it, because I like to surprise him with things and I knew he’d love it.

I’d like to point out that I’m sharing this product with everyone because I want to and I know that someone spent a lot of time making this and it shows.

Here’s what it looks like:

And here’s how Maeby felt about it:

She was intrigued.

While I don’t have any pictures of it in action, I can tell you that we are loving the flight tray so far! Adam has used it to sample various whiskeys, and since I’m more of a beer gal myself, I’ve used it for some beer flights.

Some of the things we love about it:

It’s well-made. This product is obviously hand-made, and the man who makes them, Bob, clearly takes his time with each individual one.

The holders for each mini glass are the perfect size and depth. By this, I mean that each glass fits in perfectly, and won’t spill. Seriously. Adam even held the tray with empty glasses over the couch, and begin tilting it. It wasn’t until it got to about 90 degrees that the glasses fell out onto the cushions. Again, Bob clearly took his time carving this and putting it together to make sure every glass fit perfectly.

I got a note from Bob himself! Bob wrote a nice little note at the bottom, and asked for feedback about the tray. He wants to improve his designs and products and takes customer feedback into account.

One of my friends from the east coast is coming to visit in mid-November, during which, we will be running a race together. I think she mentioned she wanted to do the 10k, but I’m hoping to do another half marathon this year and I think this race will be the one.

In the past, I’ve used two other brands of running belts (one for half marathons, and one for the marathon, which holds more energy gels). Since I’ll be training again and my running belts are old and worn out, I was thrilled when I was given a chance to try out and review the FlipBelt, as part of my being a Sweat Pink Ambassador.

I hurried on over to the website, and picked out the hot pink FlipBelt, which arrived in my mailbox two days later.

That weekend, I decided to head out with my new FlipBelt and go for a short run and see how it felt.

Once I left for my run, I found that the items in the belt (my keys and cell phone) stayed in place, didn’t bounce or slide around, and I think this may be a perfect running belt for my race in November.

While I was running, I began thinking of other times I could use this product, and I can definitely see myself using it while paddle boarding (just to hold onto my keys), hiking, and even just to hold my stuff when I go to the dog park or dog beach.

And now it’s your turn:

Interested in getting your own FlipBelt? Fit Approach and FlipBelt are teaming up to give readers 10% off an entire online purchase at the FlipBelt online store with the discount code: sweat33